RIO RIO4264P 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300L with President John F. Kennedy and Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (1:43 Scale)"All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words "Ich bin ein Berliner!"- President John Fitzgerald Kennedy's remarks in the Rudolph Wilde Platz, West Berlin, June 26th, 1963

Konrad Adenauer became the first Chancellor of Germany after the Second World War, from 1949-1963, a period which spans most of the preliminary phase of the Cold War. During this period, the post-war division of Germany was consolidated with the establishment of two separate German states, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). The first elections to the Bundestag of West Germany were held on August 15th, 1949, with the Christian Democrats emerging as the strongest party. Theodor Heuss was elected first President of the Republic, and Adenauer was elected Chancellor on September 16th, 1949.

Adenauer's achievements include the establishment of a stable democracy in defeated West Germany, a lasting reconciliation with France, a general political reorientation towards the West, recovering limited, but far-reaching sovereignty for West Germany by firmly integrating it with the emerging Euro-Atlantic community (NATO and the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation). Adenauer is also associated with establishing an efficient pension system, which ensured an unparalleled prosperity for retired persons, and - along with his Minister for Economic Affairs and successor, Ludwig Erhard - with the West German model of a "social market economy" (a mixed economy with capitalism moderated by elements of social welfare and Catholic social teaching), which allowed for the boom period known as the Wirtschaftswunder ("economic miracle") and produced broad prosperity.

Pictured here is a beautiful 1:43 scale 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300L limousine, which contains the figures of President John F. Kennedy and German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer waving to the crowd. This car was used to convey the President through the streets of West Berlin during his historic trip to the Berlin Wall.
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A worthwhile addition to anyone's parade vehicle collection. The quality is excellent, although the details is not quite as high as the Minichamps models. The fender flags, for example, appear to be made of paper, whereas the Minichamps are of more realistic fabric.